Woven chairs are identified by a ring of drilled holes around the outside of the seat or back. This ring of holes is typically covered with a cane binder strip, held down with what appear to be small loops of cane. The chair in the above image is woven with natural cane and has 70 holes.
Natural cane is typically light in color, though there is some variation in the color. Natural cane may be stained if a darker color is desired. It must be noted that natural cane ages and will get brittle and begin to fail in twenty or thirty years. How rapidly this happens appears to be a function of the climate and humidity the cane is exposed to.
In years of late plastic cane has become available, while it does not give that "natural" look, plastic cane is much less susceptible to damage from sitting on it crosslegged or a child inadvertantly standing on it. Plastic cane cannot be stained and does not appear to age, so once done, it's done, barring a serious accident.
Examples of natural and plastic caned items are displayed under the links Natural and Plastic from the left menu.
Woven Chair Seat Repair
703 6th Street
Colona, IL 61241
(563) 355-7727